Nozzle device for molding plastics

ABSTRACT

A nozzle device used for injection-molding plastic products. In the present nozzle device, the hot runner may be formed into a block and set to a mold clamping mechanism irrespective of cavity mold. The device comprises a hot runner block of fixed length having a plurality of nozzles at one side thereof and a sprue at the other side thereof, the nozzles and the sprue being placed in communication with each other by the runner, and a base plate having a plurality of support plates. The nozzles may accessibly come into contact with gates of a cavity mold. In this device, no overheating occurs in the periphery of the gates of the mold.

This is a division, of application Ser. No. 027,021 filed Apr. 4, 1979.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a nozzle device used when a plurality of plastic molded products are subjected to injection molding.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the case a plurality of molded products are desired to be obtained by a single step of injection molding, a runner need be provided to introduce the molten material in the form of plastics from a sprue to gates of cavities. This runner is positioned in a hot runner which constitutes a part of a mold. For this reason, there have been involved various disadvantages that the mold becomes complicated in construction, that since nozzles of the hot runner are always in contact with the gates of cavity molds, even if the cavity molds are cooled, the peripheries of the gates are overheated due to consecutive molding to often produce defective articles, and that in the case the material within the hot runner carbonated because of the overheating is removed, it is not possible to remove only the hot runner; the molds must also be dismantled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, the aforesaid hot runner portion, which has been originally constructed as a part of the mold, is formed into a block mold to provide a nozzle device independently of the mold and can be set to a mold clamping mechanism irrespective of the cavity mold. In addition, the device may be cleaned upon removal thereof and the nozzle touching may be effected only at the time of injection by the action of spring, thereby eliminating those disadvantages noted above with respect to the conventional hot runner cavities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in detail by way of embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a nozzle device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially longitudinal sectional front view of the device when mold is closed in a state where the nozzle device is mounted on the movable plate on the side of a mold clamping ram and set to the cavity mold; and

FIG. 4 is a partially longitudinal sectional front view of the device when mold is opened in a state similar to FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A nozzle device 1 shown here as one embodiment is composed of a hot runner block 2 and a base plate 3.

The hot runner block 2 comprises a body 22 as a cylindrical body having a runner 21 whose opposite ends in a central longitudinally extending hole are blocked by plugs 20, 20, the body 22 having at one side the desired number of nozzles 23, 23 detachably screwed projectingly in given spaced relationship and at the other side a sprue 24 screwed thereon so that the nozzles 23, 23 and sprue 24 are placed in communication with each other by the runner 21.

While in the illustrated embodiment, the nozzles 23, 23 and sprue 24 are at right angles in positional relation, and the sprue 24 is mounted in the middle of the body, it should be noted that the mounting position of the sprue relative to the nozzles and runner may be suitably selected depending upon a mold clamping device and mold construction employed here and is not limited to the state shown.

The base plate 3 is formed from a rectangular steel plate and has at one side thereof a plurality of support plates 31, 31 stood upright in given spaced relationship. The support plates 31, 31 have at their sides holes 32, 32 bored respectively to receive the hot runner block 2, the central support plate 31 having at its end a guide pin 33 mounted.

The hot runner block 2 is then laterally secured to the support plates 31, 31 to be coupled to the base plate 3 integrally and stopped at and secured to a movable plate through the base plate 3, and the nozzles 23, 23 may come into touch and move away from gates of the cavity mold.

Next, the above-mentioned nozzle device 1 and mold clamping mechanism will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. This mold clamping mechanism comprises a fixed plate at the upper part thereof to receive mold clamping pressure and a mold clamping hydraulic cylinder secured at the lower part thereof, and a pair of tie bars 7, 7 are provided in desired spaced relation over the fixed plate and a lower base plate.

Between the tie bars 7, 7 there are arranged a die plate 4 on which cavity mold 10 is fixed and a movable plate 5 on which said nozzle device 1 is fixed with a spacing 6 in a manner placed one over the other, opposite ends thereof being movably slipped on the tie bars 7, 7.

The die plate 4 and movable plate 5 have portions, on which cavity mold 10 and nozzle device 1 are placed, formed much higher than the opposite ends thereof, the die plate 4 having its central portion formed into holes to receive the nozzles 23, 23 of the nozzle device 1 positioned in the space 6.

The die plate 4 and movable plate 5 arranged one over the other are connected by pins 9, 9 extended through opposite ends thereof with clearances 9a, and coil springs 8 retained about the pins 9 are provided in touch with both plates to move the movable plate 5 by said clearance 9a when the mold clamping force is released.

The nozzle device 1 is mounted with the base plate 3 placed on the upper surface of the movable plate 5 before the die plate 4 and movable plate 5 are connected by the pins 9, 9. The guide pin 33 is inserted into a guide hole 14 in a setting plate 13 placed on the die plate 4 so that when the nozzle touch force caused by the hydraulic device 11 is released, the movable plate 5 may be moved by the springs 8, 8 through the preset clearance 9a between the ends of the pins 9, 9 away from the gates of the cavity mold 10 but not displaced laterally.

In the mold clamping mechanism with the nozzle device 1 incorporated as mentioned above, the movable plate 5 is normally biased downwards together with the nozzle device 1 through a dimension equal to the clearance 9a in the pin 9 by the action of coil springs 8, 8 and as a result, the nozzles 23, 23 are also positioned away from the gates of the cavity mold 10 through a dimension equal to the clearance 9a.

Thus, at the time of mold-clamping, that is, when the cavity mold 10 is closed by upward movement of the plunger 12 and the mold clamping force is further applied, the coil springs 8, 8 are compressed after the mold is closed and only the movable plate 5 moves so that the nozzle device 1 secured to the movable plate 5 advances towards the cavity mold 10, and the nozzles 23, 23 positioned apart through a dimension equal to the clearance 9a may come into nozzle-touch with the gates. (FIG. 3)

Conversely, at the time of mold-opening after molding, pressure against the coil springs 8, 8 is removed at the same time the mold-clamping force is released so that as soon as the plunger 12 moves down, the coil springs 8, 8 are returned to cause the movable plate 5 to be moved downward through a clearance portion before the mold-opening, thus moving the nozzles 23, 23 away from the gates as previously described.

As a consequence, the nozzle touching is carried out every mold-clamping to prevent overheating produced around the gates whose cause possibly results from normal contact of heated nozzles. In addition, since the portion to be handled as the hot runner of mold is made independently of the nozzle device, it can be replaced with another when trouble occurs or when cleaning is performed, and such replacement may be carried out very easily in a short period of time, thus offering an excellent advantage also in terms of working property. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A mold clamping mechanism comprising:a fixed plate extending in a transverse direction and having a core mold secured thereto, said fixed plate being adapted to receive mold clamping pressure; a transversely extending first plate slidable in a longitudinal direction with respect to said fixed plate; a cavity mold secured to said first plate on a side thereof facing said fixed plate and being slidable therewith, said cavity mold being adapted to mate with said core mold and having cavity mold gates opening on a side of said first plate facing away from said fixed plate; a transversely extending second plate associated with said first plate on a side of said first plate facing away from said fixed plate, said second plate being slidable in said longitudinal direction with respect to said fixed plate and with respect to said first plate; a runner block affixed to said second plate on a side thereof facing said cavity mold, said runner block having nozzles adapted to engage said cavity mold gates and a sprue extending from a side of said runner block in a direction generally nonparallel to said longitudinal direction, said sprue being adapted to accept an injection cylinder moving generally in said nonparallel direction; means for limiting the separation of said second plate from said first plate in said longitudinal direction to a predetermined distance; plunger means movable in said longitudinal direction for urging said second plate against said first plate to drive said nozzles into associated ones of said cavity mold gates and for driving said cavity mold into a mating relationship with said core mold, and for subsequently retracting said cavity mold from said core mold; and means for separating said first plate from said second plate said predetermined distance upon retraction of said cavity mold from said core mold to permit withdrawal of said nozzles from said cavity mold gates.
 2. The mold clamping mechanism of claim 1 wherein said separating means comprises a pair of coiled springs extending between said first plate and said second plate.
 3. The mold clamping mechanism of claim 1 wherein said nonparallel direction is generally parallel to said transverse direction.
 4. The mold clamping mechanism of claim 1 wherein said limiting means comprise:a pair of pins extending in said longitudinal direction between said first plate and said second plate, said pins being secured to said second plate; and means disposed on each of said pins for engaging a surface of said first plate facing said fixed plate to arrest movement of said first plate with respect to said second plate upon retraction of said plunger means, said engaging means being spaced said predetermined distance from said surface of said first plate when said nozzles are driven into their associated cavity mold gates. 